Lebanon PM-designate steps down after months of deadlock

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said Thursday he was stepping down, nine months after he was named to the post by the parliament and citing "key differences" with the country's president.

The development is likely to plunge the country further into chaos and uncertainty. Lebanon is going through an unprecedented economic crisis, described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world in 150 years. "It is clear that we will not be able to agree with the president,” Hariri said, after a 20 minute meeting with President Michel Aoun.